Mexican airlines will not be able to open new routes to the United States until further notice.
That is one of the main effects of the decision made by the US government on Tuesday. from downgrading the category from 1 to 2 l to government supervision by Mexico of aviation.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA, for its acronym in English) determined that the Mexican government does not comply with the security protocols in the matter established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
“Although the new qualification allows Mexican airlines to continue their existing services to the United States, it prohibits any new service and routes, ”says a statement from the FAA.
In addition, US airlines associated with Mexicans -such as Delta Airlines and Aeroméxico- will no longer be able to sell tickets for the routes operated by its partners.
“The FAA will increase its scrutiny of Mexican airline flights to the United States,” said the agency dependent on the US Department of Transportation
The FAA does not evaluate the safety of the Mexican airlines , but the government’s supervision .
The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, considered that the decision, which had already been advanced in some press reports last week, it responds to a protectionist interest of the US and that his country is “up to date” in compliance with regulations.
“It can be proved that it is not there is no earring nte. However, there are interests, because those who benefit when there is a measure of these are the US airlines, “said López Obrador when asked about the issue on Monday.
The FAA divides the countries in category 1 and 2. In the latter are: Venezuela, Ghana, Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Bahamas, Curaçao and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States.
Why category 2?
The US aviation regulator. evaluates the national authorities of other countries that seek to bring passengers to their territory.
Seeks to verify if they comply with the operational safety standards established by ICAO, a United Nations agency.
The last review of Mexico was carried out between October of 2020 and February 2021 and “identified several areas of non-compliance with ICAO minimum safety standards,” the FAA noted without detailing the flaws.
Category 2 means that the standards applied by a country “ lack the requirements necessary to supervise the country’s airlines in accordance with the minimum international security standards. ”
Also that“ the civil aviation authority is deficient in one or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record keeping, inspection procedures or security troubleshooting. ”
“ The FAA stands ready to offer its expertise and resources in support of the Agency’s ongoing efforts. Federal Civil Aviation (AFAC, of Mexico) to resolve the problems identified in the International Aviation Security Assessment process, ”said the FAA.
-
How China is trying to dominate the global aviation market
Carlos Rodríguez, director general of the AFAC, told the Mexican portal La Silla Rota that the observations were have attended.
“All have a percentage of progress, some already meet the 100% , others 90% and a few more 90%. On average we carry 97% solution of all audit findings, which we could ensure that we will maintain category 1, although there is always an uncertainty factor ”, he pointed out last week.
To return to category 1, they must be met under criteria from the USA all ICAO requirements.
The last time the FAA downgraded the category to Mexico was in July of 1200, restoring it to grade 1 four months later.
What impact can it have?
The Mexican authorities did not issue an immediate response this Tuesday.
However, the president nte López Obrador had indicated on Monday: “It is not a matter that I consider serious.”
“It would not affect the national lines because they are more dedicated to internal transport and fortunately there is a recovery in the number of flights, there is an increase in the number of flights, there is more movement in all national airports ”, he considered.
However, for Gabriela Siller, director of economic analysis at Banco Base , “It’s not just anything.”
“In economic terms it would delay the recovery of tourism , fixed investment, economic growth and employment, particularly in the services sector, “he told Reuters.
- ” It is unprecedented ”: the gigantic economic impact of the coronavirus on airlines (and how it can affect the price of tickets)
Mexico has been the main international air destination for Americans during the covid pandemic – 19, before the closing of the borders of Europe with almost 2 , 3 million passengers on flights between the two nations.
Now you can receive notifications from BBC Mundo. Download the new version of our app and activate them so as not to miss our best content.